Santa Claus, says grandmother, bring them with you next Christmas, and let’s do it all over again.

Shall I? asks Santa Claus, looking around at them all.

Yes, yes, they all cry.

It’s a bargain, says Santa Claus.  Don’t forget.  Next Christmas. 
Good-bye.  He opens the door to go out.

Good-bye till next Christmas, they all call after him, and they wave their hands to him as the Curtain closes.

    And this is the end of the Play.

Characters And Costumes

SPEAKING PARTS

Mother goose—­The conventional costume; full skirt, peaked hat, cane, spectacles, mitts.  It is effective for her to draw her lips tight over her teeth so that her speech is that of a toothless old woman.

Grandfather—­} simple indoor clothes
grandmother—­} suitable for farmer folk.

Father—­At first in working clothes; afterwards a bit spruced up; cap and gloves for first entrance.

Mother—­At first in working clothes and apron; better clothes for the third scene.

Walter—­A boy; at first outdoor clothes; indoor clothes underneath.

Gertrude—­A girl, a little younger than Walter; at first outdoor clothes; indoor clothes underneath, different in the third scene.

SILENT PARTS

Brownies—­Two little boys; dressed all in brown.

House fairies—­Two little girls; conventional fairy costumes, with gauze wings.

Transformed grown-ups—­Three boys and two girls:  the smallest and fattest boy, representing Santa Claus, should be dressed in white with red bow necktie and red stockings, the others in ordinary children’s clothes.

Scenery And Scenic Effects

The same scene continues throughout the play, with slight changes in the furnishings.

The fire-place must be an imitation one as the transformation in the last scene requires this means of exit and entrance, from under the table.  A very effective fire for the first scene can be produced by means of an electric fan pointed upward and strips of bright red and yellow paper fastened to the back of a log set on the andirons:  and it can, of course, be made to die down at will.  In the second scene an electric light behind red paper will give the glow of a dying fire.

There should be two doors, one on each side of the stage.

The wood box and the clothes basket stand close against the wall, one on each side of the stage near the front.  The back of each is open, and the sections of scenery back of them have corresponding holes, so that the brownies and fairies freely make their entrance and exits from behind.  In the basket should be a stool to aid the fairies in getting in and out.